Episode 26 - The Freak Factor: Discovering Uniqueness by Flaunting Weakness | Dave Rendall

Have you ever wondered what to do about your weaknesses and the things that make you weird? Our special guest Dave Rendall answers this question with a simple invitation – embrace your weird and actually exaggerate it. Dave is an amazing speaker, author of four books, former professor and comedian and is well known as The Freak Factor. Dave will be sharing with us the magic that we all possess when we choose to leverage our weaknesses. Most important, Dave will give you insights and strategies to help you innovate, create and disrupt. The Impact Leadership Podcast is brought to you by Cardivera, the leadership development eco-system that helps your grow your people, grow your business and grow your life.

Show Notes

In this episode you’ll learn that…

Your greatest weakness is your greatest strength
Focusing on fixing your weaknesses is a good intention, but it often misses the opportunities in those weaknesses
Every weakness has a strength and opportunity
It’s important to look differently for people based upon your unique needs that often are the best fit for some people’s weaknesses
Leaders must seek to find a different spot for people with so-called “weaknesses” (instead of changing people’s behaviors, change his position)
The focus should also be on situational change and not just on personal change
The use of assessments of strengths AND weaknesses are an important part of developing yourself and your people
Amplifying your weaknesses is a key to being the best of you and attracting more of the customers and clients you want
You must resist the pressures to be normal and to conform
Divergence from normal is critical for innovation and getting people excited about their work
“Normal” employees suck
Excellence happens when you deviate from the norm
Embracing deviance as your objective (over normal) is the path to impact
Diversity and difference are essential for rich experiences and businesses
The pursuit or normal is deeply engrained in our culture and must be resisted
Great leaders help others see the value that’s deep inside them (inviting others into their greatness)